Stewart wins at the Glen
Despite suffering agonising stomach and leg cramps, Tony Stewart held off road racing specialist Ron Fellows to Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen by 1.5secs
Stewart took the lead from Casey Mears with 25 laps to go and held off a charging Fellows, to win for the second time this year - the 19th of his career and his third on a road course.
Stewart began suffering early in the race, so much so that the team summoned Boris Said, who had failed to qualify but had stayed on the lot, to its pit on Lap 30. Ten laps later, Stewart took the lead from Robby Gordon, and with assistance from a physician in the pits, held on to his guts the rest of the way.
After the race, Stewart was ill to the point where he left the car immediately and went to his coach for further assistance.
Mears, who gambled by skipping a pit stop, has as much as an 11sec lead when caution came out for Brendan Gaughan's trip into the gravel on Lap 71. That gathered the field, with Mears leading on the restart, followed by Stewart, Dave Blaney, and Fellows, driving a DEI car for this race only.
Stewart needed a lap to set up Mears after the restart, then made the pass entering the backstretch chicane on Lap 76. Fellows, who started last, shortly afterward passed Blaney for third, then overtook Mears for second on Lap 78.
Fellows was not able to close the gap significantly, gaining ground on some laps and losing it on others. Stewart won by 1.5sec, having led 46 of the 90 laps. Mark Martin finished third, ahead of Mears and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The points leaders had major trouble. Leader Jimmie Johnson fell out with a blown engine, preceded by transmission problems, on Lap 25. Jeff Gordon, second in points, felt his transmission break with 10 laps to go while running fourth, and fell back through the ranks.
Jeremy Mayfield finished seventh and gained the all-important 10th spot in the points race, displacing Ryan Newman, but five drivers remain within 100 points of the transfer spot.
Why NASCAR's most resilient driver has landed on his feet at 23XI
In a career that has had many ups and downs, Kurt Busch has been written off many times before. But facing career uncertainty after the sale of Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team, the 2004 Cup champion has found a new berth at Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's 23XI organisation - which underlines his enduring value
The F1 nearly-man winding back the clock in NASCAR’s European cousin
A multiple F3000 race winner, Marc Goossens was on the precipice of making Formula 1 in the 1990s - but a lack of budget left him without a path to the promised land. Turning to an illustrious racing career in sportscars, Goossens left the endurance circuit to try his hand at racing stock cars - and now calls the NASCAR Euro Series home
Why a British prospect is trying to make it in NASCAR
There has never been a full-time British driver in the NASCAR Cup. But Alex Sedgwick, who is rising through the stock car ranks, wants that to change and could be a trailblazer for European talents to reach the top echelons of the NASCAR ladder
How Earnhardt’s death changed American motorsport
It's 20 years since legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Sr died at the Daytona 500, but the legacy of his crash continues today through the pioneering safety work done by NASCAR
The NASCAR subplots to keep an eye on in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season
How a second-chance NASCAR ace is rebuilding his career
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a shot at redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith
Autosport's top 5 NASCAR machines
The American stock car scene is more famous for its close racing and occasional punch-ups, but there have been some fantastic machines too. As part of Autosport's 70th anniversary celebrations in 2020, we picked out five of its best
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future
